Shadya interview page 4 (cont.)
What does Shadya think of the film? What does her family think of the film (especially her brother who paid for the wedding)?
DH: At first she did not like the film as she did not want her village to see that there were problems in her family. However she did want to show the world what type of woman she is. Both times when Shadya was interviewed for TV she made a stirring speech encouraging all women to pursue their dreams. The film has helped her make a statement. Her father loves the film. Her husband likes the film because he loves to see Shadya. Her brothers do not like the film but also don't mind it because they make their statement on how they see things too.
UK: I don't believe the film is more important than the people it portrays. Thanks to this attitude, we successfully avoided serious conflicts with the film's heroes. Ninety-nine (99%) percent of the scenes survived the screening by Shadya and her family. The only scene that we changed was at the request of her father who thought it might contradict some religoous rule and hurt Shadya. He didn't ask to delete [the scene], just shorten it a little; and so we did.
How popular is karate in Israel, among young women and young Muslim women specifically? Did Shadya and her teammates inspire more young women to take up karate as a serious sport?
DH: Karate is very popular among young women and particularly Muslim girls. They do not have many other hopes to choose from and karate is a cheap sport with little equipment. “Shadya” has not yet inspired many women to take up the sport as it has not been show on TV in Israel yet.
Karate is considered a form of self-defense. How do the principles of karate translate in a region surrounded by violent conflict?
DH: You should look at the Budo for Peace website. This is an association that uses traditional martial arts as a tool to stop conflict in this region. Shadya is a member and soon will be a teacher of a Budo for Peace club.
